2015 Overview and Reading for January and February

It's almost February and it's high time I get this posted.

My Solstice season was...trying.  I was sick... really sick.  I did not get to do my 12 Days of Yule, nor any of the other activities I enjoy doing.  So I'm playing catch up for my Year in Preview Reading.  I actually did the spreads on January 7.  I decided to incorporate two of my favorite tools, the runes (obviously) and the Druid Animal/Plant oracle.  Annually, I have done a Druid Oracle spread on Samhain of every year for myself for the year to come.  This year I decided to start doing one for "the community at large," take that for what you will.

(I am also celebrating Nine Days of Brighid with for Imbolc, a home hearth devotional organized by Sassafras Grove, ADF. Look for it on Facebook!)

The Druid Oracle cards mark transitions at each of the quarter and cross quarter days.  The runes are monthly.  One could see them as lunar and the Oracale cards as solar if you wish, but that wasn't in my brain as I was doing it.  Although (scrolling back up to add this) as I look at it, the runes feel to me like those are the "obvious" or "above the surface" influences, while the Oracles are the undercurrent, unseen guiding energies.  Neat!

[Sadly, I did not think to get a photo of the reading, but I may lay it back out later and edit it in.  I dont' think that should get me in any copywrite trouble with the card manufacturers.]

Runic Focus: Othala
Druid Oracle:  Poppy

The overall focus for the year is one of home and groundedness.  Othala represents land, especially those ancestral lands that are handed down through generations.   It's not just the land itself, but the connection to our roots, and the knowledge therein.  It's knowing ourselves, knowing where we end and where the world begins.  What are our boundaries, when do give a little, and when do we say, "Enough is Enough!"  This is mediated by the energy of Poppy.  Poppies can often show up and disappear without much warning, so our focus may get some surprises out of nowhere.  Boundaries may be pushed in ways that are unexpected, or our responses may be surprising.  In all, however, dealing with the unexpected is a necessary step on our journey this year, but as they say, forewarned is forearmed.

Winter Solstice - Bramble
January Wunjo

Wunjo is often translated as Joy.  A closer look at the poems though, and this is not the joy of ecstasy or extreme passion.  Wunjo is about being satisfied with one's lot.  Not in the way that we are told to just be happy with what we have when we are seeking something better.  More in lines with realizing one's blessings and focusing on that.  If one has a roof over one's head, food to eat, clothing...then one has "enough."  Given the focus for the year, January could be a time of taking inventory and honestly being aware of all one has, rather than what one does not.

At the Winter Solstice, the energy of Bramble begins to flow under this "taking stock."  Brambles are historically hard to get rid of, and so stubbonness, or, more kindly, tenacity is the undercurrent.  It can be very difficult to let go of things we've come to hold dear.  This is especially true when we're talking things that we view as negative; we SO like to focus on that over the positive. Having said that, I'm also feeling like the "boundary" nature of Bramble is important too, and while it's necessary to let go of that which doesn't serve, it is also necessary to stick to one's guns, and dig one's heels in when one has to.  It's the knowing of the difference that's the thing.

February Perthro

Perthro is a rune both of fate and of camaraderie.  We see in the Anglo-Saxon rune poem images of friends sharing a meal and a drink--this feels clearly like an extension of Wunjo from the start of the year.  And, given the way February is in Ohio, drawing on friends to cheer you through this dreary month is not bad advice.  We are defined by those we surround ourselves with, and good friends will tell us when we've overstepped.

Imbolc -- Heather

Heather in this deck is a bringer of luck and a good omen.  It suggests a time of celebration or major life transition, and again advises us to celebrate life, rather than dwell on the negativity.  As the sun becomes stronger heading towards spring, our ties to others, as indicated in Perthro, are an important part of our lives, and should be celebrated on into the spring.